A police commander has pleaded with organisers of Bristol’s upcoming Kill the Bill protests to work with the force.
Avon and Somerset police are aware of demonstrations against the proposed Police and Crime Bill – which would curtail people’s right to peacefully protest – planned for tomorrow (March 30) and Saturday (April 3).
The events, set to take place on College Green, follow three recent Bristol protests on the same issue. The latest, on Friday, prompted criticism of the physical force police used to disperse crowds.
Protesting is legal again from today (Monday, March 29) as the coronavirus lockdown has eased – but it is only legal if organisers submit risk assessments and ensure social distancing.
Supt Mark Runacres, Bristol area commander, has urged organisers to get in touch with police.
He said: “For tomorrow and Saturday’s protests to happen lawfully, there needs to be engagement from organisers.
“It’s not like it can just happen the same way it did pre-Covid, but we are happy and keen to work with organisers.
“We will look to agree and identify issues around timing, duration, route, end-point and how we disperse at the end. We want to facilitate the protest through the day.
“That’s what we did throughout last year but for the recent protests we’ve had no contact from organisers.
“No one wanted to put themselves up for being an organiser for the fear of a £10,000 fine, and I understand that, but we can now hopefully resume that conversation, contact and cooperation.”
The commander added police have been reaching out to potential organisers since the weekend.
He said: “Absolutely we have been – especially today. We have gone through a variety of channels with organisations and individuals who could help us achieve that.”
The demonstration is set to begin at 6pm tomorrow. Asked at 4.30pm today if there had been successful contact with organisers, Supt Runacres said he had not yet received an update on this.
Asked what will happen if organisers do not liaise with police, the commander said: “Technically speaking it would be outside Covid regulations because it wouldn’t meet the criteria.
“We still wouldn’t want confrontation. We want to facilitate, but facilitation is so much better for all parties if it is preceded by conversations and planning.”
He said police want to be able to plan road closures and avoid people getting too close together at “pinch-points”.
Supt Runacres added: “We do understand the strength of opposition to the new legislation being debated in Parliament but we’re asking people to exercise their right to protest responsibly due to the clear health concerns.
“The pandemic hasn’t ended and large numbers of people congregating together at any one time continues to increase the risk of spreading Covid-19.
“Ideally, people would find alternative ways to express themselves such as contacting your MP or signing one of the petitions available online.
“The NHS and hospitals continue to face significant pressure and we would urge people to continue to do all they can to help prevent the spread of the virus, especially ahead of the Easter weekend.
“Policing plans will be in place to manage the two protests should they go ahead and specially trained protest liaison officers will attend and look to work with those gathered.
“We respect people have a fundamental right to protest and should the protests take place we want to ensure they do so peacefully and without incident.”
You can read more about how Friday’s protest unfolded here, and more on the Police and Crime Bill here.
